Monday, June 22, 2009

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water flow and temperature are not just how you like, think about how things used to be.Here are some interesting facts about the 1500’s:Most people got married in June, because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other men and sons, then the women/girls and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Care had to be taken when throwing it away. Hence the saying, 'Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.'Houses had thatched roofs. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and drop off the roof. Hence the saying 'It is raining cats and dogs.'There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying 'dirt poor.'The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. Also to protect their feet against the cold floor in winter. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A cross-piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a 'thresh hold.'

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, 'Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot, nine days old.'Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, the hosts would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could 'bring home the bacon.'They would cut off a little pork to share with guests and would all sit around and 'chew the fat.' Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, cau sing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for nearly 400 years tomatoes were considered poisonous.Bread was divided according to status. Servants got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or 'upper crust.'Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait to see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a 'wake.'England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a 'bone-house' and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside, and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night to see if the bell rang. Thus the term the 'graveyard shift'.By this method, someone could be 'saved by the bell' or was considered a 'dead ringer.'

And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring? Educate someone... Share these facts with a friend.

About Me

Since my early teen age years I have been always a hands on type of person. Instead of someone else fixing or building something for me I took the time to learn and do it myself. No challenge was to large. From building cars & motorcycles to electronics' trouble shooting and furniture building.
I have over 30 years experience in construction. My primary job was a roofing contractor for many years. I also have hands on experience in electrical , plumbing, framing, hvac, sheet rock, flooring.and trim work .
Through the years on new residential work it always troubled me when I see other sub contractors install components of there trade incorrectly. I would go to them or the builder to express my concerns and they where always grateful. In the early 90's when I was speaking with a builder about concerns of one of the trades he told me I should be a inspector. So in 94 I began a home Inspection business. I prided myself on being unbiased about my findings for the benefit of my clients.